Part of iconic Paris bridge collapses from ‘love locks’ craze

Tourists were evacuated from the Pont des Arts footbridge in central Paris over the weekend, after more than two metres of railing collapsed, crumbling under the weight of a thousand so-called "love locks".

Police sources said the railing collapsed shortly before 6pm on Sunday, but that no one had been hurt by the incident.

Thousands of Paris visitors cross the Pont des Arts, or cruise under it on tourist boats, each day.

Couples travelling through the French capital have adopted the tradition of inscribing a padlock with their initials and attaching it to the famous footbridge as a sign of their shared love.

The footbridge, which links the Seine river’s opposite banks near the Louvre Museum, was closed after the accident, but police said it would be reopened on Monday.